


all the shooting stars and all the silver moons

by essiisse



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Baseball, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, POV Tsukishima Kei, Second Year Tsukishima Kei, Second Year Yamaguchi Tadashi, Volleyball, and then tsukki kind of flirts back !, probably a bit ooc ??, yams gets flirty with tsukki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29650509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essiisse/pseuds/essiisse
Summary: He wore a dumb and elated smile on his lips, one of his hands shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight. It was ridiculously endearing.“You came to see me!” Yamaguchi said.“Ugh… no?” Kei replied but, again, he wasn’t leaving. “I just needed a breather.”“Glad I could help you with that.” He answered cheekily, grin widening. While his words were completely shameless, his smile couldn’t be depicted as smug, as it was too wide and too bright to be described as anything other than blinding.or, the one in which Tsukishima Kei was supposed to be doing a bunch of other things but ended up living a high school romance instead.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 60





	all the shooting stars and all the silver moons

**Author's Note:**

> I kept thinking about baby yams saying there were too many scary guys in baseball and soccer so that’s why he tried volleyball, but what if he ended up playing one of those two instead? and since I’m in a baseball mood lately (thanks to my daiya boys) my mind instantly went to very cool and flirty ace pitcher yams crushing on stoic middle blocker tsukki. and this happened. so yeah, everything is pretty much the same as canon except yams is not on the vb team and isn’t a childhood friend of tsukki’s. also, this is set on their second year of high school.
> 
> rated teen and up for some making out sessions here and there but it's actually very mild. hope you'll enjoy!

Kei watched as Kageyama set the ball – a high and precise four set for Tanaka-san –, and swiftly moved from the middle in order to block it, halting his movements before jumping. When Tanaka-san spiked, the slam of the ball against his palm deflected its course, the trademark _‘one touch’_ leaving his lips. Ennoshita-san saved it from becoming a point off tooling the block, allowing their first-year setter to raise it in an underhand pass for Narita-san over the middle from the back row.

Point after point, the rallies were long, each side battling after the satisfying sound of the ball slamming down on their opponents’ floor. Even if it was just practice, all of them took each point seriously, honing skills as much as they could. They’d got some promising first-years after Karasuno’s performance in the Spring Tournament and coach Ukai was using the precious time they had before Inter-high to properly assess their abilities and potentials.

Needless to say, the whole team was fired up.

When the set ended, coach Ukai called for a quick break, all of the members of Karasuno volleyball club walking out of the court and reaching for their respective water bottles. Kei fetched a small towel as well, pressing it against the damp and heated skin of his neck. As he slumped his body against the wall by the gym doors, Kei drank from his own bottle and sighed in satisfaction at the refreshing water running down his throat.

It felt like mere seconds instead of a handful of minutes when break ended and coach Ukai announced they were going to practice serves for a while. Kei lingered by the wall for a bit, as Yachi and Ennoshita fetched the carts with all the balls.

He was about to push himself off the wall and join the rest of his teammates when a voice coming from his right stopped him from doing so, its tone gentle and seemingly directed at Kei. “You guys are looking good for this season too.”

When Kei looked to the side, he already knew whom he was going to find, familiar with the honey-like voice. Yamaguchi Tadashi, his classmate and ace pitcher of their school’s baseball team. He was wearing his practice jersey, black tee and pants over a terracotta compression shirt, smiling cheekily at Kei from the last step that led to the gym. His longish hair was pulled in a low ponytail, messy bangs framing his freckled cheeks as he held his baseball cap in one of his hands.

“Shouldn’t you be at your own practice, Yamaguchi-san?” Kei asked in a lieu of a proper reply.

Yamaguchi just giggled at him, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m doing my one hundred pitches practice today and I’m on break right now!”

“So shouldn’t you be running instead?” Kei asked, regretting the words immediately after they left his lips. Because him asking that proved to Yamaguchi that Kei actually paid attention to him whenever the pitcher chased him at lunch break to chat (or rather, for Yamaguchi to talk while Kei listened). Otherwise, how would Kei know that this particular practice consisted of pitching twenty times, resting, pitching twenty times again, running and then repeating until the hundred mark?

When Kei looked at Yamaguchi again, the boy’s cheeks were tinted pink, cool façade replaced for an uncharacteristic shyness. Still, even if his eyes wouldn’t meet Kei’s, his typical charming smile graced his lips all the while. “Yeah, I was supposed to be running right now.” He admitted, the bashful way in which he rubbed the back of his head surprising for Kei, who always saw him as someone confident and unshakable.

“What are you doing here then?”

“You know exactly what, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi answered and, there he was, the Yamaguchi Tadashi Kei had come to know so well. Then, the boy leaned his body forward and peeked at the clock on the gym’s wall, humming to himself. “I have to be back in the bullpen in hum… five minutes, which means I can chat with you for three!”

Kei scoffed at that, trying to sound nonchalant. Kei was supposed to be practicing his serves, but there he was, chatting away. He realized he was giving Yamaguchi exactly what he wanted by talking with him but, really, the pitcher was a breath of fresh air in between all the old married couple bickering Kei had to put up with from Hinata and Kageyama on the daily, while waiting for them to stop dancing around each other and realize the obvious. “I’m sure your team would be very happy to know their ace pitcher is slacking off during practice.”

“Now, they don’t need to know about an once-in-a-lifetime detour.” He said, pouting slightly at Kei. “You wouldn’t rat me out like that, would you, Tsukki?”

“You know I’m not that good of a person.”

Yamaguchi laughed at that, throwing his head back for a bit before regarding Kei again with upturned lips. He motioned to where everyone else was serving and said, “besides, you’re slacking off too.”

Kei only shrugged at the accusation and, instead, diverted Yamaguchi’s attention elsewhere. “Well, I suppose I should leave you then.”

“No no no, stay here with me for a bit.”

“And why would I do that?” Kei inquired. “It’s not like I’m getting anything out if it.”

“Yeah, all my turned down attempts at flirting are a proof of that.” He pouted childishly in response. “You wound me, Tsukki.”

“Yet, it doesn’t seem to make you stop.” Kei pointed out. Yamaguchi, barely affected by the pungent words, smiled wide, apparently pleased that Kei was still talking and acknowledging him.

“Never.” He replied smugly. “What’s a pitcher if not someone obstinate?”

“Well, Mr. Pitcher, it seems like your three minutes are up.” Kei said, jerking his chin towards the clock. Yamaguchi followed the movement, clicking his tongue when he realized Kei was right.

“Worth it.” Yamaguchi added, because it wouldn’t be him if he didn’t flirt some more before leaving. He skipped down the steps and started walking backwards, smiling at Kei as he slowly departed. “Seeing your cute face got me on high spirits so I might work on my slider today.”

“Good work.” Kei answered flatly, only to have Yamaguchi giggle again, waving at him and finally turning around before jogging away.

Kei snorted at Yamaguchi’s antics, turning to face the inside of the gym again only to realize that half of the team had paused their serving practice and was staring disbelievingly at him, most of them with dumb expressions on their faces. While he talked with Yamaguchi, Kei not once regarded the lack of the deafening sound of balls hitting the floor, nor did he noticed the way some of his teammates stopped their own conversations to focus on him and Yamaguchi because, apparently, Kei having a somewhat civil conversation with someone was a matter of public interest for the team. Kei was tempted to snort at that realization.

“Tsukishima, do you know that guy?” Hinata, like usual, was the first to utter his curiosity aloud.

“Of course he knows him, idiot, why would they be talking to each other?” Kageyama butted in.

Kei sighed dramatically, why was he friends with those two doofus? “Yeah, he’s my classmate. And the ace pitcher of the school’s baseball team.”

“Really? He’s the ace on his second year?” Hinata shouted, admired and outraged at the same time. “How’s that even possible?”

“Dude’s probably good at what he does.” Kageyama added, smirking at Hinata. “Unlike somebody else.”

“What? What are you trying to imply, Kageyama? Say it to my face, asshole!”

Kei ignored the duo as they started their nth discussion of the day, swinging his bottle back for another gulp of water before he dropped both his towel and bottle back on the floor, intending to finally practice his serves like he was supposed to. Still, he couldn’t help but snort when Hinata and Kageyama got progressively more physical in their bickering, playfully slapping each other while trying to dodge each other’s attacks.

“Why was Yamaguchi-kun flirting with you, Tsukishima-kun?” Yachi sneakily asked him, suddenly appearing by Kei’s side.

He scoffed. “Hell if I know.”

Yachi laughed quietly at that, looking way too invested in something as mundane as another student showing up at the gym, and looked up at Kei. “You were flirting too, you know.”

Even if he tried, Kei couldn’t hold back the bark of laughter that spilled from his lips, exaggeratedly throwing his head back. Because really, what was he supposed to come up with? He _knew_ he had been somewhat flirting back, but he only did it because it was meaningless and it was obvious it wasn’t going anywhere. It was fun to blend sarcasm with flirtatious words and, the best rarity of it all, Yamaguchi matched him blow for blow every damn time.

It was new and exciting, to say the least, to have someone that didn’t shrink at his sharpened words but instead, gave him a run for his money as well. Kei was willing to indulge himself with the playful flirting, just as Yamaguchi did as well.

Kei knew Yamaguchi didn’t mean any of it for real.

Thankfully for Kei, he didn’t need to come up with any response for Yachi as the coach clapped his hands and asked them to focus. He walked towards one of the carts and fetched a ball for himself, spinning it on his hands a couple of times.

As Kei stood tall behind the end line of the court and prepared himself to serve, he had to suppress the grin trying to make its way to his lips, tucking his chin down and biting his lower lip in order to keep it away. Because fuck, he made Yamaguchi blush. And _shit, he was so cute_.

–

Kei was supposed to be watching Kamomedai matches’ footage.

They didn’t have practice that day, for the gym was being inspected. Usually on those days, Kei went straight home or, in the rare occasion, practiced with Akiteru’s team. That day specifically, though, he did neither of those things. Hinata and Kageyama had reluctantly asked for his and Yachi’s help for some studying sessions, so that was what Kei found himself doing in his infrequent off afternoon.

Currently, the volleyball freak duo was silently working on their respective sheets of exercises, which Kei and Yachi were going to revise later. Yachi was mindlessly drawing on her sketchbook by his side and Kei had meant to watch the Kamomedai videos coach Ukai had sent him.

Instead, he got up from his chair and let the others know that he would be back soon, intending to fill outside his now empty water bottle. After he finished filling it, Kei moved to the large hallway windows, looking out to the school fields. From that spot, he had the perfect view over the baseball field, the worn-out bags of its bases forming the diamond. It seemed like they were playing a practice game, Kei realized, the club members forming two different teams.

Kei was supposed to be watching Kamomedai matches’ footage but he found his feet taking him to the school’s baseball field instead.

He was halfway there when he realized what he was doing and while Kei questioned if he should just turn around and head back to the library, his feet weren’t dragging. Besides, it wasn’t like Yamaguchi would actually notice or acknowledge him or anything like that, if Kei were to lurk around for a few minutes.

Only when Kei stepped outside, did he realize how hot it was. A bit stiffly. With the summer approaching, so did baseball’s most aggressive tournament, the one that guaranteed a ticket to a summer Koshien. And there was the Golden Week too. And tests. And a practice match with Shiratorizawa the following week.

It wasn't like Kei had time to spare. _He was supposed to be studying Kamomedai’s blocking system, for god’s sake._

But _no_ , instead he was leaning against the small bleacher’s railing and observing a sport that had nothing to do with him, seeing each of the plays and absorbing nothing _and Yamaguchi wasn’t even on the mound_.

Kei clicked his tongue, wondering, not for the first time, what the fuck he was doing. He considered leaving again, but then the players were all walking out of the field, their positions on the diamond being taken by others, so Kei figured the inning had just ended. He lingered, taking a sip of his water, and then he saw Yamaguchi jogging to the mound. Kei watched as he smoothed and shoveled the dirt around the pitcher's plate with his foot, lifting his glove to catch the ball the team’s catcher threw him.

For all the times Yamaguchi chatted with him and ranted about baseball facts, Kei had never watched him actually pitch. Yamaguchi had his back turned to him, which Kei was very glad for since it prevented the boy from seeing him as he observed his movements.

As a batter walked to the batter’s box and prepared himself to swing, Yamaguchi stood tall on the mound and ran through his pitching routine. His form was much like your usual pitcher, but Kei watched enraptured as Yamaguchi raised his leg high and firmly planted his foot down, body elongating and twisting until he swung his hand over and released the ball – the resonating sound of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt the only thing Kei could hear.

And then Yamaguchi was laughing from the field, Kei only catching the remnants of it as he taunted his teammate. The batter wasn’t fazed, though, loudly requesting for another one as he swayed the metal bat in the air a couple of times. Yamaguchi threw another pitch and even when Kei didn’t understand the intricacies of different pitches or the right timing to bat, he could tell that the batter was swinging late, missing the balls entirely.

While the first batter was eliminated by strikes, the one that followed managed to get on first base and the third managed to make weak contact, which made possible a double play that assured the three eliminations. Seeing as that half of the inning had ended and Yamaguchi wasn’t going to pitch anytime soon, Kei straightened up and prepared to leave, figuring his friends were probably wondering where he went.

However, it seemed that as Yamaguchi left the mound and headed to the dugout, he caught sight of him on the bleachers, since he instantly changed his path and jogged towards Kei. “Tsukki!” He exclaimed, coming to a halt in front of the bleachers and looking up at Kei.

He wore a dumb and elated smile on his lips, one of his hands shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight. It was ridiculously endearing.

“You came to see me!” Yamaguchi said.

“Ugh… no?” Kei replied but, again, he wasn’t leaving. “I just needed a breather.”

“Glad I could help you with that.” He answered cheekily, grin widening. While his words were completely shameless, his smile couldn’t be depicted as smug, as it was too wide and too bright to be described as anything other than blinding.

“Well, I was just about to leave so…”

“No, don’t go yet!” Yamaguchi pleaded. “It’s almost my turn to bat, why don’t you stay to watch?”

“Are you any good?” Kei inquired, leaning against the railing again and smirking slightly. “I wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself in front of me, Yamaguchi-san.”

“Honestly?” He began, and was that a blush again? Kei was starting to get used to the sight. “I’m an average batter at best, but I can make extra effort to look good in front of you.”

Kei visibly laughed at that; Yamaguchi wore his emotions and words on his sleeve and damn if that wasn’t the most adorable thing. “Thank you for being honest.” He answered in between vestiges of laughter.

“Ok, then look closely!” He said as he started to jog towards the dugout. He came out of there some moments later with a protection helmet, gloves and a metal bat, kneeling on the on-deck circle while he waited for the batter before him to bat or be striked out.

As Yamaguchi positioned himself to bat, Kei watched him from the bleachers. When he swung at the first pitch, the contact against the bat was half-assed, the ball bouncing without much force towards the third base. Still, Yamaguchi managed to run to first base and be safe, pumping a fist in the air to Kei all the way from there.

Kei chuckled, a smile gracing his lips. He knew Yamaguchi wouldn’t be able to see him, though, so he pumped a fist in the air as well. As much as he wanted to stay and watch more of the game ~~(or, better yet, Yamaguchi)~~ , Kei needed to go back to the library for the boring reality of revising his friends’ exercise sheets, so he slowly left the bleachers and headed back to the school building.

As he climbed up the stairs and made his way through the corridors, Kei felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Swiftly, he took it and analyzed his newest notification, feeling another smile creeping up on his lips.

_[3.24pm] Yamaguchi_

_were you impressed? (_ _≧◡≦_ _)_

_[3.25pm] You_

_it takes more than that_

_if you go to koshien, maybe I’ll be_

_[3.25pm] Yamaguchi_

_if I do, can I take you out on a date?_

_ᕙ_ _(`_ _▿_ _´)_ _ᕗ_

Kei bit his lip as he pondered what to reply, confused as to what was the right answer. If he replied with a _‘yes’_ , it might seem like he was setting preconditions to go on a date with the other, which was kind of a dick move. Maybe he could play it safe. But again, it wasn’t like he was actually taking this seriously, so Kei typed his safest option and hit send before he could overthink it too much.

_[3.27pm] You_

_maybe_

_[3.28pm] Yamaguchi_

_ᕙ_ _(^_ _▿_ _^-_ _ᕙ_ _)_

Kei couldn’t help but smile at the excessive use of emoticons, stopping in front of the library doors. He slipped his phone in his pants’ pocket again, for they weren’t allowed inside, and slid the door open. One last time, Kei had to make the conscious effort to wipe the small smile from his lips.

–

Kei stared dumbstruck at the slice of strawberry shortcake placed neatly over the middle of his table.

He was supposed to be fetching his bento box from his bag to have lunch, but he was too busy trying to figure out how a slice of his favorite dessert suddenly appeared on his table during the small timeframe of him going to the bathroom and returning. Either way, Kei sat down on his chair and reached for his bag, finally taking his lunch box from it. He traced the plastic container of the sweet before pushing it to the side, because he was supposed to be having lunch, not wondering who could possibly have left that there.

He pushed all of those bothersome thoughts away and reached for his chopsticks, eating calmly while eyeing with apparent interest and excitement the strawberry shortcake by his side.

After Kei finished his lunch and put away his bento box, he reached again for the typically small container, holding it with both hands in front of him. As he read the tiny circular label that hanged from its side, Kei realized it was from a cozy bakery near the school, where Karasuno students usually hung out and bought sweets from.

He opened the container and took the disposable fork that laid inside, scooping a piece of the dessert. With his chin resting over one of his hands, Kei led the fork to his mouth, closing his lips around it and letting its taste slowly melt against his tongue. It wasn’t the best he ever tried, but the overwhelming sweetness and the barely perceptible edge of acidity of it were delicious and indulging.

It wasn’t every day that he could pamper himself like that, Kei hummed as he ate another piece of it, even if it was at someone else’s expense.

In a matter of few minutes, Kei had devoured half of the dessert. He only took his eyes away from the layers of pinkish sweetness when he heard the classroom’s door open, a group of students filtering inside – and among them, no one less than Yamaguchi Tadashi. Suddenly, Kei felt a slight burn in his cheeks, catching the sight of Yamaguchi withdrawing himself from his friends with a brief wave and a cheerful smile. Kei gritted his teeth slightly and looked down to his lap.

Soon enough, Yamaguchi stopped by his side, leaning back against the table by Kei’s left side and holding onto its edge with a hand as his legs stretched diagonally forward. Kei looked at him and found a close-lipped smile. He placed the fork down and let his hands fall to his thighs, for it felt weird to eat while there was someone there, regarding him with such unwavering eyes.

“I’m happy you enjoyed it.” He said, nodding towards the strawberry shortcake.

“I did.” Kei answered. “Thank you. How did you…”

“Asked your manager and she gave me a few pointers.” Yamaguchi shamelessly admitted and Kei contemplated what he should do to Yachi later, torn between towering over her or thanking her profusely. “I heard you guys won the practice match against Shiratorizawa last week, so I thought I could treat you to something.”

“You didn’t need to, but thanks.” He replied. “Well, they don’t have Ushiwaka anymore, so it sure is easier.”

“Hey, you won against them when they _still_ had Ushiwaka, there’s no need to play the inferiority complex card with me, Tsukki.”

 _Wow_ , that sure hit close to home. Yamaguchi could be awfully pungent at times without even realizing. For lack of a better response, Kei said, “don’t call me Tsukki.”

“Well, would you prefer Kei-kun, then?” Yamaguchi inquired, not fazed at all. He usually jumped in between those two – Tsukki and Kei-kun, that is – and, in all honesty, Kei didn’t know which he actually preferred. For him, both were fine (information that Kei would never let Yamaguchi get his greedy hands on), but _‘Kei-kun’_ usually left him with a jumbled mess of a stomach so Kei deemed the other one a bit safer.

Still, Kei didn’t answer because, he learned, Yamaguchi usually figured it out on his own.

As silence fell over them, Yamaguchi shoved a hand inside the pocket of his uniform and took a baseball out of it, rolling the ball around in his hand as he occasionally traced the red seams of it. Kei watched the seemingly mindless movements, observing how long and dexterous his fingers were, how his nails were impeccably well kept and how they curled gently – but firmly – around the ball. Then, Kei looked at his own hands – clasped over his lap – calloused knuckles and a bandaged finger, not a spec of delicacy in its largeness and roughness.

Kei parted his thighs and shoved his hands in between them.

“Yamaguchi, why did you choose to play baseball?” He asked, eager to divert his attention elsewhere.

Yamaguchi seemed surprised by the sudden question, but his answer came quickly nonetheless. “Well, when I was a kid, I decided that I wanted to play a sport. But back then I was really terrified of baseball and soccer since the players were much bigger than me and I was a really shy kid.”

“You? A shy kid?” Kei snorted, unbelieving. He kinda knew where Yamaguchi was coming from, though, if the amount of blushing he was getting lately were any indication.

Yamaguchi chuckled at that, starting to softly toss the ball up and down onehandedly. “Believe it if you want, Tsukki. I was interested in the sport, though, and once I got good enough, baseball helped me stood up for myself and gain some confidence.”

It seemed that there was a bit more to it than that, but maybe it wasn’t the right time to question about it so Kei didn’t pry. Yamaguchi went on, “just like the serves in volleyball, every play in baseball starts with a pitch. And even when the pitcher is throwing the ball to the opposite team’s batter, I was fascinated with the possibility of using that as a weapon. It’s a spear-like kind of thing.”

Suddenly, Yamaguchi giggled, halting the tossing and scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, I went off in tangents. What about you, why volleyball?”

“I started playing because of my brother.” Kei shrugged. “Then… not so much because of him.”

“Hum… I see.” He hummed, and Kei was glad that he didn’t ask for more information. Kei didn’t know what it was about Yamaguchi that made him prone to truthfully sharing personal details, when he could always come up with a simple lie instead. Furthermore, Kei didn’t know what it was about Yamaguchi that made the boy conscious of how much Kei was willing to share, for he never pushed him beyond what Kei was comfortable with. He advanced as much as Kei made space but, that day, something felt off. Yamaguchi wasn’t as close and Kei was surprised to realize he missed his usual indisputable presence.

Then, Yamaguchi straightened his body and slipped the baseball in his pocket again, smiling sweetly at Kei. “Well, I’ll let you enjoy the rest of it.” He said, walking away with a wave of his hand.

Kei reciprocated the gesture dumbly, not expecting him to leave so soon. In his absence, Kei wondered what it felt different about Yamaguchi, why his presence felt distant all of a sudden. His words lacked the usual flirtatious tone and it seemed as if he held himself with caution around Kei.

As he led another bite of the cake to his lips, Kei tried to ignore how unnerving that felt.

–

Kei definitely wasn’t supposed to be blocking the way he was.

The people that called him a sieve-like middle blocker during the Inarizaki match would have a field day if they saw how Kei’s blocking was full of holes the last couple of days. The way he read the players on the other side of the net – setters, hitters, the receivers’ positions – and the way his legs and feet moved, it all felt slower, dragged and half-baked.

Kei could tell that the whole team noticed it too. How could they not, really, when the pinnacle of consistency of the team seemed, all of a sudden, completely inconsistent? The Inter-high was right around the corner too. Kei needed to get a grip on his game and he needed to do it fast. Things couldn’t keep on going like this, over something that small, on top of that.

After the first day in which his blocking started to visibly suffer and the heated argument with Kageyama that followed, the team knew to let him deal with it by himself. For all the bite and satire that Kei’s words usually carried, he never was downright rude or easily angered, so the sight of him storming out of the gym was, to say the least, astonishing.

While they let Kei’s blocking remain as disjointed as it pleased, the team showed their support in different ways instead. Hinata taunted him with surprisingly decent read blocking, Kageyama forced him to jump higher in order to make him feel like he was doing something properly, Yachi wordlessly passed him a bottle of water and coach Ukai let him off the hook for a few days. Even Kinoshita-san had offered to teach him how to serve a jump float and Kei was glad for all of that.

A year ago, Kei would never rely on volleyball like that, trusting the weight of a ball on his hands and the sound of multiple sneakers squeaking against the gym’s floor.

But the thing was, Yamaguchi wasn’t talking to him.

Not in the sense that they’d a discussion and weren’t talking but rather, in the sense that Yamaguchi just seemed busy with other things. And while Kei would never admit that aloud, he missed him. He missed Yamaguchi’s silly and blatant flirting, he missed his lopsided smile and the way he made Kei feel uncomfortable like nothing else ever did. Kei longed for the sight of his tanned skin and scattered freckles, he yearned to know why Yamaguchi liked to keep his hair long and why he had pierced ears – although never once did Kei saw actual earrings on them.

These days, when Kei looked back over his shoulder, Yamaguchi was always hunched over a baseball scorebook, focused eyes unwavering. When they crossed paths on the hallways, Yamaguchi cutely waved and smiled at him, but didn’t break away from his group to talk to him. He was always chatting with one of his baseball friends, excited smile plastered on his lips while they probably talked about things that Kei couldn’t possibly understand or take part on. Not that he wanted to.

But why was Yamaguchi all the way over there?

Not that Kei felt entitled to Yamaguchi’s time, but he couldn’t help but miss the way Yamaguchi would simply barge into his own space and make himself the only thing Kei could see. All the impromptu shared lunches that weren’t happening anymore, where did all of them go?

Most importantly, why was Kei getting so damn worked up over the farfetched sight of Yamaguchi’s charming grin and piercing eyes directed elsewhere and not at him?

A split second later, when the realization as to why he craved Yamaguchi’s presence so much inevitably hit him, Kei couldn’t help but wonder how much of an idiot he really was. For all his academic aptitude, Kei could be freaking dumb sometimes. Since when did he flirt for the sake of flirting? _For fun?_

“Shit.” He cursed under his breath. Instead of having lunch on his desk like he usually did, Kei grabbed his bento box and stood from his seat, swiftly leaving the classroom without looking back.

When Kei opened the door that led to the school’s rooftop, the breath of refreshing air that reached him was a relief in between his constricting chest and the sudden revelation of a damn crush. Unbelievable and, at the same time, unquestionable, there was no doubt about how pretty Yamaguchi’s hands were, about how enrapturing his freckles could be and about how Kei’s eyes always lingered, a bit too lost on every glimpse of him.

Yamaguchi was very pretty and Kei kind of wanted to kiss him.

Kei slid his body down until he sat on the floor, long legs stretching forward. He squinted his eyes against the harsh streaks of sunlight and placed his lunch over his lap, sighing mutely to himself.

What good did that realization do anyways?

Yamaguchi clearly wasn’t interested anymore – if he ever truly was, in the first place – and while Kei had never seen him flirting with anyone else, maybe it was too hopeful of his part to believe that he was the only one on the receiving end of that. No one had ever looked at Kei quite the way Yamaguchi looked at him, his intrigued gaze something that Kei never saw before. It was very much unsettling… Kei loved it.

Either way, Yamaguchi’s bubbly nature drew people in to him almost inherently and Kei wasn’t oblivious to the way a handful of petite and pretty girls in their class giggled at the sight of him. Why would Yamaguchi have eyes for a blunt beanpole like him when he could have anyone else, someone more gentle or interesting? Maybe Yamaguchi had gotten tired of all of Kei’s taunting and niche humor stuff, and that was why he had driven himself away from him. Maybe he had finally realized how much of a bore Kei really was.

He clicked his tongue, pissed off, and led the chopsticks to his mouth, mindlessly munching on his food. Barely tasting it.

Kei liked Yamaguchi, he could admit that much to himself, he liked the sound of his sheer voice and laughter and the way he held his body’s borders. However, Kei apparently was too late to realize the makings of a crush and now that was never going to happen.

Anyhow, Kei relished the time and banter he shared with Yamaguchi for all this time. First and foremost, though, he wanted him back.

–

It wasn’t customary for Kei to take showers at the school. Usually, he went straight home after practice and bathed there instead, glad for all the privacy and easiness that came with it.

But damn, it was really hot. The promise of a cold spray of water running down his exerted muscles and sweaty skin was more than tempting. And he wasn’t customarily fond of the cold. Practice during summer was always a bit too satanic for him, after all.

Either way, Kei was supposed to be home early that day, though, since Akiteru was going to be around for a few days and his parents wanted to enjoy that time with a nice family dinner. Because of that, Kei vowed to himself to be as quick as possible. He grabbed a small toiletry bag and a change of clothes in the clubroom and rushed downstairs.

The locker room was shared between all the men’s sports clubs, located on the ground floor of the small clubrooms building. It wasn’t a super spacious place, Karasuno didn’t have much money flying around, but it served its purpose. It was more vastly used by the field sports clubs, anyway, for they always left practice a little worse for wear.

When Kei entered the locker room, there were only a few students lingering around, some stalls with water running and a couple of other boys drying their bodies and changing clothes. Kei claimed an isolated locker to himself, placing his things inside and gathering the things he needed to take with him in order to take a shower.

He was in and out of it with agile pragmatism, barely being able to enjoy the cold droplets of water running down the planes of his body. Barely two steps after he left the stall, towel wrapped around his hips and hair dripping, Kei stopped dead on his tracks. Because, there, a couple of lockers to the right of the one he had claimed, stood a recognizable silhouette, a shirtless, freckled and broad back facing him. Even without his glasses, Kei would recognize the sight of it even in the dark, the sharp cuts of his shoulder blades mesmerizing to the eyes.

He was staring like a creep, damn it.

Forcing his legs to move, Kei approached his temporary locker again, placing his toiletry bag inside.

“H-hey.” He said, hating himself for stumbling on the word.

Yamaguchi jerked his head up, diverting his eyes from the phone on his hand and smiling brightly at Kei. “Tsukki, hi! How are you doing?”

“um.. Good. You?” Kei answered quietly, forcing his eyes to stay out of Yamaguchi’s frame. Well, because he had just realized a few days ago the he harbored a crush on the boy by his side and Yamaguchi was only making matters worse for him. He was shirtless, for god’s sake, body slightly hunched towards the lockers with one of his forearms pressed flat against it and since when did one need that many muscles to play baseball? His pants were unfastened, laying low on his hips and showing off a strip of dark underwear underneath, as if Yamaguchi had stopped undressing midway through.

Kei felt so fucking thirsty all of a sudden.

“I’m good!” Yamaguchi answered jolly, locking his phone screen and placing the device over his own things. Kei silently slipped his underwear on under the towel, still keeping his suddenly starved eyes away from the tanned planes of Yamaguchi’s stomach and the faintly defined lines of his arms. In all honesty, Kei felt a bit self-conscious of the gangly and lanky qualities of his own body when Yamaguchi stood _like that_ , broad shoulders and shifting muscles. So pretty and close to the touch and, yet, completely unreachable.

Shit, things felt kinda awkward now, Kei internally mused while buttoning his shirt. Way too silent.

“We haven’t been talking a lot lately.” He blurted out without thinking.

“Oh yeah, sorry about that.” Yamaguchi chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. A few strands of his hair escaped his standard low ponytail and Kei looked away again, unsure of when his eyes shifted back.

Kei untied the towel around his hips and grabbed his pants. “You don’t have to apologize though.” Kei said because really, _Yamaguchi didn’t have to_. Yamaguchi owed him nothing, actually.

“No, it’s-” He franticly started but, ultimately, interrupted himself. “I get what it looks like but it’s just… I’m just focusing a lot on baseball right now.”

Yamaguchi didn’t skirt around the matter, that much was clear, and Kei was terrified of how painfully honest he was all the time. Kei wasn’t honest; not to himself, not to others and definitely not to his own feelings. He cleared the dryness of his throat and said, “well, the upcoming tournaments are almost here after all.”

“Yeah…” Yamaguchi said, dragging the word a bit. Casually, he went on. “We played a practice match against Dateko the other day, y’know, and oh my god… let’s just say nothing gets past their infield defense. That’s funny actually, they also have really good blocking on their volleyball team, right?”

“Yeah, they do.” Kei nodded, zipping his pants and buttoning it as well.

“Can’t forget Shiratorizawa. Freaking fourth batter that hits home runs as if it’s nothing. Ah man, powerhouses are so unfair.” He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kei briefly glanced at him before looking away, fingers curling on the fabric of his towel. Something felt off. Kei couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the words they exchanged now felt somehow different from their usual ones. Distant, overly friendly. Kei tried to understand why that bothered him so much.

After that, they remained in silence for a while. Kei rubbed the towel against his head, poorly drying his hair before discarding it over his practice clothes. Now, Kei could just grab his things and leave but, somehow, his feet remained planted. Yamaguchi, as well, clearly wasn’t heading to the showers, which he obviously meant to do before Kei showed up by his side. Instead, he was staring blankly at his locker and Kei would probably crack a joke about that if he didn’t feel like it would only drive Yamaguchi further away from him.

That was the only thing he seemed to be good at, anyway.

“I miss talking to you too.” Yamaguchi suddenly said, the words mumbled like it was a secret shared in between only the two of them.

Kei’s fingers itched to reach for the other boy, but he willed the desire away, clenching his fists. He didn’t deny the blatant implication that he missed talking to Yamaguchi, because how could he, when that was exactly the case?

“Yama-” Kei started. The other two boys that were in the bathroom, who waved at Yamaguchi and announced that they were going to wait for him somewhere Kei didn’t quite catch, immediately interrupted him though. Kei bit his lower lip and swallowed his words, feeling out of place.

After Yamaguchi replied to his teammates, he turned to Kei again. “I’m sorry, what were you going to say?”

“It’s nothing.”

When Kei started gathering his things and visibly preparing himself to leave, Yamaguchi reached for him and circled Kei’s wrist with his hand. The feeling of his fingers against his skin felt like the touch of a thousand burning stars in the sky.

“Can’t you stay for a while?” Yamaguchi wasn’t looking at him, but his fingers lingered for a second too long before letting go.

“Aren’t your friends waiting for you?”

“I would much rather stay here and talk with you.”

The somersault that his stomach gave at those words wasn’t fair in the slightest and, even when his face remained impassive, Kei felt his cheeks get warm and burn. Still, as formerly established, Kei could be really idiotic sometimes (especially when a certain pretty boy was involved), so that was the reasoning he found for the reply he came up with.

“We’re not exactly talking right now, though.”

The briefness of Yamaguchi’s laughter filled the empty bathroom, echoing against the cold tiles. “That’s so easy to fix, Tsukki. We can just talk about whatever.” He said, slinging a towel around his neck. “That is, if you wanna do that with me.”

Well, a little less skin to get distracted by. “I do.”

The honesty that his words carried startled Kei himself, who immediately looked away from Yamaguchi’s profile, nervously pulling the skin around his nails.

“Talking about talking.” Kei supplied dumbly, just for the sake of breaking the sudden silence. But Yamaguchi giggled, turning flushed cheeks his way, so Kei deemed it worth it.

When Kei glanced back at Yamaguchi to catch glimpses of the splotches of red that coated his freckles, he got so lost in them that he forgot to look away. When Yamaguchi met his eyes, the bashful way in which he tilted his head down and the prideful way in which he kept his eyes locked on Kei a strange, yet addicting combination.

As Yamaguchi’s tongue lazily poked out of his mouth to lick and trace his own lips, Kei eagerly followed the movement, sharp eyes consuming it all. Yamaguchi cocked his head to the side and smiled up at Kei.

Kei’s fingers twitched, willing to reach but frozen halfway.

“Tsukki? Is everything alright?” He asked.

Kei didn’t bother with an answer and when Yamaguchi slowly moved closer, Kei’s mushy brain – it was all Yamaguchi’s fault, with his little grins and cute freckles and piercing eyes – took a second too long to realize what was going on.

“Mmh!” Like the flip of a switch, when Yamaguchi’s warm lips touched his, Kei immediately kissed him back, hands pawing at Yamaguchi’s chest as he backed him up against the lockers. The sound that it produced was ignored by both, for the taste of each other was too overwhelming, too imposing to make space for anything else.

Yamaguchi’s lips were perfect, hot and soft and just as hungry as Kei’s, and the way he kissed Kei – a hand on his nape and another circling his waist, applying gentle pressure on the small of his back – made his knees turn to jelly. Kei almost stumbled forward at the feeling of Yamaguchi’s tongue gliding against his, gripping the boy’s naked shoulders before moving to the sides of his neck and kissing him some more. Moreover, the little hums of encouragement Yamaguchi let out here and there were driving Kei absolutely mad with desire, Yamaguchi’s skin burning under his fingertips.

The smack of their mouths, the pulling of lips and their harsh breathing echoed loudly in the locker room in the form of wet sounds, ricocheting on the walls until it became the only thing Kei could hear. He felt drunken on the feeling of Yamaguchi’s palms gripping his edges, holding him firmly and close. _Not letting him go, not wanting him to go_. The taste of him on Kei’s tongue, the way he felt and sounded and, furthermore, the way Kei could easily picture how he looked; he wanted to be able to explore and figure out each nuance of the boy between his hands.

When they broke apart, the sudden gasp that left Kei’s lips startled him, making his eyes divert to the side. Yamaguchi’s chest heaved with the force of his heavy breathing, warm puffs of air reaching Kei in a gentle reminder of all their kissing.

“Is… Is this ok?” Yamaguchi asked, squeezing softly the side of his waist.

Kei didn’t reply because well, he didn’t think he could. It was _more than ok_ , mind you. But Kei couldn’t actually say that out loud, could he? He was flustered and immersed underwater in a sea of fireflies. He was thinking things that didn’t even make sense, like a damn moron. Furthermore than all of that, he was so damn happy about that kiss that words were failing him.

“You looked like you wanted to kiss me and I really wanted to kiss you, so I did.” Yamaguchi chuckled bashfully. The hand that he had on Kei’s nape started to slip away. “I’m sorry with that was out of line.”

“No, it’s-” Somewhat desperately, Kei placed his hand over Yamaguchi’s in order to keep it there. Still, he didn’t know the right words to say, so what he did was kiss Yamaguchi one more time instead.

This time, with a bit more of calm, Kei caught Yamaguchi’s lower lip between his own and kissed it briefly, letting it go before repeating the languid movements all over again. He kept on kissing him, being kissed back, again and again and then some. Only when the words stopped swimming around in his head and found a somewhat coherent thought did Kei let their lips part again.

Still oh so close, their swollen lips brushed now and then, a steady _thump, thump, thump_ ringing in Kei’s ears.

“Did I… did I say something that-” Kei started, hiding his face in the crook of Yamaguchi’s shoulder and sneakily breathing him in. He was still a bit embarrassed – unknowing what to say or how to act – and the only thing that kept him grounded was the feeling of Yamaguchi’s long fingers playing with the short strands of his hair.

Even when Kei interrupted himself midway, Yamaguchi seemed to immediately catch on what he meant, chuckling quietly and mutely shaking his head. “No no, it was me actually-”

“What?”

“Well, to be completely honest, I thought I might have been bothering you.” Yamaguchi confessed. “So I took a step back.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He mumbled against the skin under his lips, tightening the hold his arms had around Yamaguchi’s waist and snuggling closer.

“Yeah, it is. I should’ve known.”

Kei nodded his head and hummed in agreement, still hiding a smile when Yamaguchi turned his head to the side and placed a chaste kiss on his temple. When Kei forced himself to stop clinging to Yamaguchi, the sight of flushed cheeks and joyful eyes that greeted him instantly dragged another smile from Kei, one he couldn’t quite hide.

“Shit, I really have to go though.” Kei said as soon as he briefly glanced at the time on his phone. He was probably going to get an earful from his mom but, all the while, it would be worth it.

“Sure.” Yamaguchi replied, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. “I’m sorry for holding you back.”

“Oh shut up, Yamaguchi.” Kei said, but the snort that he let out took all the pretended bite in it.

Kei gathered his things in his arms and turned to leave but, once again, Yamaguchi held him back, this time by asking, “hey! Aren’t you gonna kiss me before leaving?”

Without a second of hesitation, Kei moved closer, tilted Yamaguchi’s chin up and latched their lips together. He felt Yamaguchi nip softly on his lips and sighed into the kiss, shuffling closer and melting deeper into the feeling of Yamaguchi’s lips. It was only when Yamaguchi gently pushed his chest away that their lips parted and, although the gesture seemed a bit reluctant on Yamaguchi’s part, Kei complied with it. He _really_ had to go, after all. So much for being quick.

“Can I text you tonight?” Kei asked in a whisper, caressing the skin behind Yamaguchi’s ear with his thumb. Every now and then, his finger would brush against the boy’s earlobe and Kei relished the way Yamaguchi leaned into the touch.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” He answered, bright and clear, squeezing Kei’s fingers briefly before letting go. “Remember to let me know when you arrive home, as well.”

At the locker room’s door, Kei looked back and smiled faintly at Yamaguchi. Maybe it was only an excuse to catch another glimpse of his beaming form, large and elated smile plastered on his lips and eyes turning into crescents, but Yamaguchi didn’t need to know about that. _Shit,_ Yamaguchi was too damn pretty and Kei was already too gone for him to be able to trace a way back.

Not that he minded, not that he wanted to.

Kei started to head home, even when he was supposed to still be kissing a starry boy.

–

When Kei walked outside, the setting sun had stepped down to the gleam of countless and distant stars, all of them shining over the dark sky, scattered and gracefully messy, the moon peacefully in between them all.

At that, Kei thought about other stars, the constellations he touched and held, the ones that were much closer, palpable and stunning. Kei happened to find them much prettier as well.

When Kei arrived home, he did get a bit of a not-so-serious lecture from his mom, the table already set and all of his family just waiting for him. When he apologized and explained that something held him back, he just tried not to blush too much.

Later, when Akiteru opened Kei’s door to see if his brother was up to some passing drills outside, he halted on the doorstep, finding Kei not flicking through volleyball magazines or doing homework like usual, but instead lying on his bed, an almost imperceptible smile on his lips as he typed rapidly on his phone screen. After that, Akiteru just softly closed the door again, leaving Kei and whoever was on the other side by themselves.

–

The baseball season always started a bit earlier than the volleyball one. But even with the small assurance that Kei could attend most of his boyfriend's games, he was still a bit pissed that one of their first volleyball matches had to be on the same day of the baseball semifinals in the prefecture. It was just his luck. That meant that not only Kei couldn’t support Yamaguchi in the semifinals – that, according to him, was an almost bloodshed in order to get to the finals –, but also that Yamaguchi couldn’t be in the stands for him. Really, it wasn’t like it was the end of the world or anything of the sort. Kei could still go and see a handful of Yamaguchi’s first games so _that’s at least something, Tsukishima-kun;_ Yachi tended to remind him. That knowledge, though, did little to subside Kei’s subtle and stifled frustration at the entire situation. Either way, it was impressive for Kei how their manager seemed particularly aware of his annoyance at the whole ordeal, even if he never uttered it aloud.

The frustration-ridden thoughts helped, leastways, to divert the anxiety-ridden ones away from Kei’s head, soothing, if only a bit, the tense waves of anticipation and excitement settled on his guts. Pre-game jitters were a first for Kei and, in this case, it wasn’t even his own game to begin with. Getting a boyfriend did those kind of things to someone, Kei guessed.

Still not quite used to it, Kei tried not to visibly grin at the word ‘boyfriend’ – even if there was no one in his room to witness the way the edges of his lips pulled up – as he buttoned his short-sleeved shirt and gazed at his reflection on the mirror. Finally, Kei grabbed the baseball cap over his bedsheets and held it with both hands, regarding Karasuno’s usual black and orange colors as well as the kanji printed on it. He placed it on his head and looked at himself again, rearranging the fit so that its flap didn’t bump against the frame of his glasses.

Kei felt a bit silly wearing it, to be completely honest. But Yamaguchi had been so eager about it when he placed the cap on his head, a chaste kiss on his lips and a little bounce at the sight of Kei in it, that he felt tempted to indulge his boyfriend a bit longer with it.

After Kei made sure that he had everything he needed with him, he just slipped on his sneakers at the house’s genkan and walked out, locking the door behind him. The walk from his neighborhood to the bus stop was a short one. On the way, Kei fished for his earphones on his jeans’ pockets, disentangling it in order to listen to some music. He scrolled past the most recent content he had been listening to – baseball podcasts to be able to understand the sport better, seeing as he was going to attend many baseball games from now on – and chose a random playlist to keep him company on the way.

When Kei arrived at the stadium, he noticed that it was already filled with people on the stands. It wasn’t that many people per se, but it was still a considerable amount. He didn’t know Karasuno students were so into baseball, Kei mused to himself while choosing a place to sit, but it was to be expected, really, with baseball being such a popular sport in Japan. For now, the field was empty, save for a few people evenly settling the dirt over the mound, the sun shining brightly above the diamond.

He fiddled with his phone for a bit while waiting for the game to start, sending a few messages to Yamaguchi and chuckling quietly at the boy’s over enthusiastic replies. Upon receiving a selfie from Yamaguchi, Kei shielded his phone from the sunlight and smiled down at the sight of a giddy smile and a peace sign.

They kept texting until Yamaguchi announced that he needed to stop if he didn’t want their team’s coach to kick him out of the debut game of the season. Kei chuckled, finding the scenario very improbable. He continued sending messages to the other, though, since Yamaguchi said it was okay to bombard him with them if he was too bored on the stands by himself.

Yamaguchi did advise him to bring some of his volleyball friends, after all. But no, Kei actually wanted to share that day, if only the first of many, between just the two of them, Yamaguchi all the way on the mound and Kei watching him from afar. Even if there was too many people to count, Kei felt like it was solely the two of them on a too vast baseball field, but maybe that was because, ultimately, Kei only had eyes for Yamaguchi.

_God, he was getting soft._

Again, it wasn’t like the minded. As long as no one else was aware of it, that is.

After those few minutes left to tend by himself, however, the game started quickly enough, players of both teams greeting each other before jogging to their respective positions on the field. When the match actually started, Kei heartily followed each one of the intricate plays – pitches and bats and innings, one after the other – but he would be blatantly lying if he said his eyes didn’t linger quite often on the silhouette of a freckled boy.

Kei would smile at each shout or cheer that Yamaguchi let out from the mound at a good pitch, Yamaguchi’s voice travelling through the air until it reached Kei, who was silent in his pride for the other boy. Chin resting on his palm, Kei probably was an intriguing sight for anyone else on the stands, fixated on the game at the same time that his mind seemed to be where else.

When the game ended – on the seventh inning that is, due to the large lead Karasuno had over the other team –, Kei rose up from his seat and left the stands, heading towards the stairs that led to the dugout. At the corridor outside of it, Kei leaned his body against the wall while waiting for Yamaguchi, anxious to congratulate the other.

Just as Yamaguchi left the dugout and rounded the corner – sweaty and flushed, jersey dirty –, Kei gently grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, bringing their chests together and wordlessly pressing their lips against each other. He playfully nipped Yamaguchi’s lower lip and squeezed the sides of his waist, only letting the other boy go after a few more pecks.

“Congrats on your first win.” He whispered over the other’s lips.

“Thanks, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi replied, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Kei once more. “Only all the other rounds to go before I can take you out on a date.”

“ _Oh my god_ , shut up.” Kei rolled his eyes. “You say that after repeatedly having your tongue shoved down my throat, Yamaguchi. You see, it has no effect anymore.”

Yamaguchi giggled and proceeded to shove his tongue down his boyfriend’s throat, to prove his point or shut him up, he didn’t know. With one last swipe of his tongue over Kei’s lower lip, he leaned away and smiled that cheeky smile of his. “It’s fun, though.”

“You are never going to drop that, right?” Kei groaned dramatically.

“Maybe. Who knows.”

“I can’t believe you.” Kei said, shaking his head in disbelief but leaning forward once more, capturing the lips of the boy who captured him and kissing him tenderly.

Ultimately, they had to let go of each other. Especially when one of Yamaguchi’s friends left the dugout and stumbled on them openly making out on the hallway. Kei was thankful for the way Yamaguchi handled both of their overflowing embarrassments, gently squeezing Kei’s fingers.

 _I’m here, Tsukki_ , is what Kei imagined they said.

Kei marveled at the sight of Yamaguchi’s pretty hands holding his overly large ones with utmost care, as if they were something to treasure. When, around half of the time of Kei’s life, they only got the recurrent slam of balls against them. The way Yamaguchi’s fingertips curled around Kei’s skin in a clear and paradoxical gesture of giving and seeking some sort of grounding made Kei’s heart race in his chest, warmth blooming around it without asking for permission.

When Yamaguchi let go of his hands, fingers slipping away, his touch lingered in Kei’s skin though, just like his kisses lingered on Kei’s lips as well. When he returned with his bag slung over a shoulder and instantly reached for Kei’s hand again, their fingers interlacing and palms kissing, Kei realized he was already missing the weight of Yamaguchi’s hands in his.

Being in love, he realized, constituted of a bunch of weird contradictions.

While they watched the next game side by side on the stands – in order to know which team Yamaguchi would face next –, Kei decided to once again focus his eyes on the sight of the clasp of their hands. Skin tones, freckles, jammed or bandaged fingers, well-kept nails… their hands were so different. But they looked so well together.

Later, when Kei and Tadashi stopped on their way back home to share a meal and celebrate Yamaguchi’s first win, they sat side by side again, Kei sipping on a strawberry milkshake while Tadashi not so subtly stole handfuls of his boyfriend’s fries. Kei didn’t mind. If anything, he was glad for the way Tadashi smiled unabashedly at him, freckled cheeks strawberry colored and soft lips salt layered. Salt and sugar combined should’ve not been that surprising of a good mixture, but they tasted much better in between the countless amounts of stolen kisses.

Much later, when Kei found himself laying on Tadashi’s bedsheets, he thanked whichever entity granted him so much luck. Tadashi was very pretty, and now Kei got to kiss him. Squinting his eyes, due to lack of his glasses (that Tadashi had put away, blatantly ignoring all of Kei’s protests), Kei tried to save to memory each little detail that permeated Tadashi’s features, even when he knew he could look whenever. Kei felt, rather than saw, Tadashi’s hands on his face, fingers tracing his eyebrows, cupping his cheeks and pressing over the indents his glasses left on the sides of his nose.

There, with Tadashi’s addicting eyes centered on him, the passage of time seemed to be irrelevant, meaningless when the touch of Tadashi’s hands, the feeling of his lips and the weight of his body were such tangible experiences.

Kei wasn’t supposed to be anywhere else.

He was exactly where he wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> this is self-indulgence at its peak but why would i write fanfic if not for self-indulgence. let me have this, thank u :)


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